Born to Ride: Connor & Paisley

I took this when my son, Connor, and our neighbor's daughter, Paisley, were cruising the neighborhood on Paisley's new electric scooter. One day when they are in high school, we'll break this out. They are 2 years old. TWO.

Ian's Senior Session, Dallas Christian High School

Waxahachie, TX - Ian is a Senior at Dallas Christian High School in Mesquite. He is a State Champion in tennis and plays a mean sweeper for the DC Soccer Team. He came down to Waxahachie and we got some very cool shots of him. Here are a few of my favorites. I am booking up fast for sessions in early 2009. If you want a session like this, get with me fast and get on the calendar.

Merry Christmas from Agile Images

Merry Christmas, everyone. I'll be taking a few days off to spend with my family, and take a hunting trip with my dad. I'll be back next week and then we will finalize the Ivey Photography purchase. I have a new phone number if you need to reach me. 214-794-8101.

The Allen Family

Waxahachie, TX - I spent the afternoon in the park taking photographs of the Allen Family. Josh, Ben and Peyton had a blast playing in the leaves, swinging, and generally running crazy. They hardly ever knew I was there. I've known their Dad since we were little kids, so we caught up a bit while the kids played. I did manage to get them stopped once so their mom could send out a Christmas card. Here are a few shots from their session.

Agile Images Best of 2008

In 2008, I took over 60,000 photographs. Yes, SIXTY THOUSAND. If you think you have a hard drive full of photos from your digital camera, you should spend a few minutes with my computer. I decided to take a look back and see what my work looked like at the beginning of the year, and see how it had changed. I learned more in the past few months than I'd learned in the previous few years. I believe I learned something from each of those 60,000 photos, and I am a better photographer each time I go out. Take a look for yourself. There are two links here, one is a "sit back and listen to the music" slideshow. The other is a "click at your own pace" version, without the cool tunes. Either way, I think you'll enjoy my best shots from 2008.

Slide Show Version

Click and Go Version

The image you see here is a snap shot of my screen. This looks like chaos, but it isn't. Believe me, in order to keep track of 60,000 photos in a year, you have to be organized :-).

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Turning Over a New Leaf

For those of you that know me, you know that I work nights and weekends to make Agile Images what it is. You also know that I want photography to be an even bigger part of my life. I've loved it since I was a kid, and now, I'm putting my heart and soul into a new business venture.

I was lucky enough to meet Janie Ivey at a recent Bridal Show in Waxahachie. Janie's late husband, Ray, started Ivey Photography in 1976. Unfortunately, Ray passed away a few years back, and Janie has reached her limit in running the studio without him. Janie and her new husband, David, have been kind enough to sell me their business, Ivey Photography. I don't know if they had a "For Sale" sign in the yard, but I think they were looking for the right person, at the right time, with the right set of skills. That person, time, and skill set happen to all line up with me.

The Ivey Studio is located in Midlothian, just off of Business 287, on the corner of 12th and Avenue G. The studio is located in a historical old home built in 1889. From the moment I walked in to the door, I knew it would make a great home for me. Over the past 6 weeks, Janie and David and I have become close, and we are all excited about the opportunity at hand. There is a LOT of work to be done, but I have a great support team, and a tremendous history to build on. Even though Mr. Ivey hasn't been shooting at the Studio for a few years now, his Legacy lives on through Janie, and now, hopefully, through me. He was a great photographer, and I hope to maintain the high level of professionalism and integrity that Ivey Photography brings to the photography industry. Janie and her staff are well respected in the community, and I hope to earn that same respect in the coming months and years of owning the Studio.

This blog will no longer be updated after the end of the year. We will instead update the Ivey Studio website, and start a new blog using the Ivey Photography name. Agile Images will remain a part of our business, as it will be our sports and mobile events brand. We will continue to shoot local youth sports, dog events, and any other action you care to mention. Action and event photography are very important to me, and we feel like the Agile Images brand will serve us well and continue to grow as we grow.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me fulfill a long time dream of mine. Thanks to all of our clients who have been so generous and have allowed me into your lives to photograph your families, your weddings, your children, and even your pets. Thanks especially to Dad, Ami, and Chandler and most of all to Angie, who will be there every step of the way as we build the Ivey Photography business. Angie will also be spending a lot of time in the new nursery, as we are expecting our second baby (a girl) in January. We have a lot to look forward to in 2009, and we hope you will be along with us to enjoy it. If you are ever in Midlothian, please look us up and stop by. We're easy to find; just a half block off Business 287 at 12th Street, behind Sonic. See you there

Cody & Lindsey, and Tatum on the way

Waxahachie, TX - Today I spend time with Cody and Lindsey, a great couple from Venus (not the planet, the city). They are expecting their first baby in February and wanted to get a few shots to remember the occasion. They didn't want anything too revealing, just a few shots they could share with family and friends (and now the entire Internet!). Lindsey looked beautiful and Cody was a great sport. We'll expect to see both of them back with their little girl very soon for newborn photos. Here are a few of my favorites from the day.

Christmas Card Designs

I thought I'd share a few Christmas Card designs from this year's sessions. These are simple, 5x7 flat cards that are $1 each with a session. The back has a simple textured design with my logo, and they include envelopes.

Mr. & Mrs. Shemberger, Clyde & Jag

Dallas, TX - After a photo session with the Shemberger Six last month, Mr. & Mrs. Shemberger wanted portraits with their dogs for their Christmas Cards. I loved the idea and we met on Turtle Creek at a great little park. Here are a few of my favorites from the morning session.

Mabra Girls, all Dressed in Brown

Waxahachie, TX - I took the 3 Mabra girls down to Waxahachie this weekend to shoot for their Christmas photos. They looked fantastic in these beautiful brown dresses. It took a while to get what we needed, but once I got them settled, we had lots of fun. Here are few of my favorites from the day. I actually liked about 25 shots from this session, which is more than usual because I am very picky, but I can only show you a few here. I guess that's a good problem for their mom to have when she picks her favorites.

One of the last shots of the day was a classic...
I found some beautiful light near an old building . . .
On point from the moment we got the camera out, and loved every second of her shoot. . .
Just adorable. There were too many of Paisley to include here. . .
This one reminded me of an OLD photo you'd see in the archives. Love the vintage feel of the dresses with the abandoned railroad . . .

Dolive Family in the Park

Waxahachie, TX - I'm growing attached to a couple of great shooting spots in Waxahachie. My sister is expecting another son in January. She and her husband came over with their son Cash (seen here before) to do some family shots for a Christmas card. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Cash needed a nap, so he snuggled with mom . . she loves this one!
A photo to show the new baby . .YOU ARE HERE..
These three never stop having fun . .
Easy to get this when Cash was enjoying the leaves under his feet and giggling . .
Same easy shot, minus Dad.

By the way, if you are in the Waxahachie, Midlothian, Ennis, or surrounding Ellis County area, please look me up. There isn't much time left for gifts this year, but don't let that stop you from spending time out with your family, and allowing me to tag along and shoot some photos of it all.

The Brigman Family - Camera Shy? Not anymore!

Frisco, TX - As I explained in a previous post, the weather in Dallas this past weekend forced me indoors for my last two shoots of the week. The wind was blowing 30 and it was cold out. On top of that, my last shoot with the Brigman Family presented an interesting challenge. You see, Malyn, their 3 year old daughter, is scared of cameras. Her mom, Ami, does not know why she is scared, but only that a flash magnifies her fear by 10X. Remember that part about me having to shoot indoors? Yeah. Usually indoors means dark, requiring a FLASH. Mix that with a girl who runs at the sight of a camera, and you see my challenge. Luckily, I'm pretty creative, the house had a FANTASTIC north facing window, and Malyn had two small dolls to distract her. OH, and I almost forgot, Tatum is their 3 week old daughter, and we needed new shots of her, too. SHEW . . Here's what we came away with. Enjoy.

Wind, Cold, and a Mobile Studio for Christmas

Allen, TX - As you may know, I am primarily an outdoor, on location, natural light photographer. I prefer the freedom of a location so I can be creative, and I prefer not to use a flash since there is already a big giant flash bulb in the sky. The problem with that is when the bad weather hits. This weekend brought some nasty weather to the Dallas area. On Sunday I had two shoots scheduled and if we had to get outdoors to shoot, we were likely going to have to reschedule. Since my clients need these photos for cards and gifts, we can't reschedule. So, like any good Scout would do, we IMPROVISED. I met Jada and her family at her mom's beautifully decorated home in Allen. I set up my Speedlights and a couple of soft boxes, and we went to work. Luckily the front side of the house was shaded and out of the 30mph North wind, so we managed to get in a few minutes outside, too. It was cold, but we did it. Here are a few of my favorites from the day, with commentary:

Morgan was lovely in her red dress. This is my improvised studio work in the lobby of the house. Notice the great scraped wood floor, too. Just beautiful.
This is Mason inside staying warm, looking at me out on the porch scouting the light and the wind situation.
This is grandpa and grandma in a great naturally lit room in their house. Look how great the kids did for this shot.
This is more like it. Perfect light, beautiful baby, FANTASTIC colors, if I do say so myself. This was on the porch after we decided to go outside.
Mason thought the porch offered more entertainment, too. He was tearing up grandmas Christmas displays.